


Best Laid Plans

by Andromedanewton



Series: Anita and Edward (my canon divergence) [12]
Category: Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter - Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 11:40:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7756372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andromedanewton/pseuds/Andromedanewton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Plans are made, cover is blown.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Best Laid Plans

'The two of you hit here,' Edward pointed on the map he has spread over the table, Anita and I will go in here.'  
'Why here?' Bernardo pointed to the area Edward meant for the two of us. He had already explained how he would trip out security and set up a decoy to distract most of the guards.  
'Because I want Anita to go through here.' He circled an area with the pencil he had in his hand.  
'And that is?' I tried to get a better view of the aerial shot until Edward kicked me and I straightened, realising Bernardo had been looking down my top. 'See something you like?' I asked.  
'Couple of things.' He shrugged nonchalantly and Edward snapped his pencil.  
'Cheap dollar store pencils.' He threw the top half on the floor and continued with the stump. 'This is one of Van Cleef's little secrets. Agent graveyard.'  
'No shit, really?' I gave him a hopeful look and he nodded.  
'Figured you could make use of it.'  
'Oh God, yes.' I smiled.  
'Do you need any supplies?'  
I shook my head. 'Just a knife.'  
'You used to have a bag of paraphernalia for raisings.' He looked at me doubtfully.  
'Tri was good for something.' I shrugged, knowing he would understand I meant the triumvirate.  
'Raisings? You're going to raise zombies?' Bernardo asked again. Olaf had remained silent since we got back and while he was still staring at me in was in a different way and it was just as unnerving, if not more so.  
'As many as I can.'  
'Why does he have an agent graveyard? Is it not evidence?' Olaf finally spoke and it was actually a good question.  
'Special graveyard. It's like a warning. This is where he buries those who have failed him. Each marker bears the crime against him; no name, nothing personal, just what they did and how they died.'  
'I can't raise vengeful zombies.' I said pointedly. 'They can get loose and go for revenge and...is that what you're counting on? Them tearing Van Cleef apart?'  
'It's that big a problem?'  
'You're making me tell you twice? I told you you'd be no good helping me on an animator case.' I shook my head.  
'Most of them died in "accidents", not at his hand.' He made little air quotes and I sighed.  
'Accidents he caused. If just one of them knew it was him responsible and I raise it we will have a serious problem. I can't control rogue zombies.'  
'I thought you could even raise vampires these days?' I gave him a hard look. No one was supposed to know about that other than those I trusted. 'I just over shared, didn't I?'  
'It was just one vampire, and it was an accident.' I tried to brush it off but the damage was already done.  
'I thought that was meant to be impossible.' Bernardo folded his arms.  
'It is.'  
'Then how did you do it?'  
'How much do you know about animating?'  
He shrugged. 'Not much.'  
'Then I can't explain it to you. Hell, even I'm not sure how I did it.'  
'If you can control a vampire you can control a zombie, rogue or not.' Edward had faith in me, probably more than I had in myself.  
'If I do this Van Cleef might die.'  
We shared a long look, he knew that was what it meant, and for all his saying we couldn't kill Van Cleef if it came to it he wouldn't stop it, if one of the zombies he wanted me to raise went rogue he wouldn't blame me.  
'You give me your word of honour that if he dies because of this you won't be all pissy and insist I owe you.'  
'You have my word.'  
'Shit. She has something on him.' Bernardo mumbled and we both turned to glare at him.  
'She's in this mess because of me.' Edward's eyes grew colder, if that was possible, and I watched the exchange carefully, Olaf doing the same.  
'You said she asked for your help.'  
'Because he tried to use me to get to her, by sending the agent he had made to look like me, to try gain her trust. If she didn't know me she wouldn't have hit his radar.'  
'Yes, she would.' It was Olaf who replied. 'She has a high kill count, and a reputation. He would have sought her out without your connection.'  
'Is that true?' I looked back at Edward.  
'Possibly. We'll never know, but you do have a hell of a reputation and that's just for your legal kills.'  
'If I do this, there's no backsies, you get that?' I tapped the map, trying to get back on topic.  
'I get it.'  
'Then fine, I'll do it, but if one goes rogue try and slow it down while I put it back.'  
'Won't it fall back under your control if it kills him?'  
'Maybe, maybe not. It may turn on us, might look for the person directly responsible as well as Van Cleef as the man who sanctioned it. The zombies I raise are more alive than most. All I can do is try it.'  
'Then try it. What do we do if we need to slow it down?'  
'Blow the shit out of as many of its body parts as you can. You don't want a random limb attacking you.'  
'We all got that?' Edward looked between the two of them. 'Zombie comes for you blow it to pieces.'  
We spent the next hour going over more details and timings and Edward insisted we all rest in shifts, an hour each so we could watch over the other, then we would head out into the night.  
Once we were alone I could almost see Theodore shrug Edward off him, like a heavy coat, and he gave me a small smile.  
'You sure you're ready for tonight?' He asked as I stripped out of my shoulder rig. I knew it was a bad idea to shower when I was probably only going to get dirty again later, not to mention bloody, but I wanted to clean the feeling off me that I had carried since Olaf and I had...since then.  
'Sure as I can get. You're not though.' I pointed out as he sat on the bed beside where I stood.  
'I'm ready.' He insisted but his eyes wandered over me as I pulled the belt out of the loops.  
'No, you're not. Put Theodore away and bring Edward back.'  
'I thought you liked Theodore.' He leant back on his hands and grinned at me which made me sigh and shake my head.  
'I do like Theodore but I need Edward. And a shower.'  
'That's why you're stripping?' He asked disappointedly.  
'I have evil twin juices stuck to me and the mental feel of Olaf, I need to shower.'  
'If I'd known that I'd have given an extra hour for resting.'  
'God, you're a horn dog. Who knew?'  
'You do now.' His hands curved over my waist as I lifted my t-shirt, muffling my reply.  
'Stop that.'  
'You like it.'  
I threw the shirt on the floor and turned a glare on him. 'In three hours we are breaking into what you have convinced me is one of the most heavily guarded training camps in the country. Lose the Lothario and send back the sociopath.'  
'Just ten minutes?'  
I laughed. 'If I thought you'd only be ten minutes I'd let you but so far you've not shown me fast. You're a savour it kind of guy. Now get back in your assassin headspace and get some sleep. I won't wash my hair so I'll only be five minutes, tops.'  
'Then let me join you in the shower.'  
'Neither of us will get any rest.' I unzipped my jeans and shimmied them off, all too aware of him watching me. 'We need to rest.'  
'You know what's relaxing?' He raked a hungry gaze over me and I gave him a hard look.  
'No. I mean, yes, I know, but no you're not.' I kicked his booted foot with my bare one. 'Get those off and lay on the bed. I'll be right out.'  
'One kiss, to tide me over?' He asked, and I didn't have the heart to say no.  
'One kiss. Just one, mind.' I wagged a finger at him.  
'Just one.' He agreed as I stepped up to him and he pulled me to straddle him, his face level with my breasts. 'Didn't I kill this bra once?'  
'I bought three the same.' I explained as he ran his tongue over the edge of the lace. 'That counts as your kiss.'  
'Nope, no lips.' He trailed his tongue up the hollow of my throat and I closed my eyes, sighing in contentment.  
'That's a bit literal.' I half heartedly complained.  
'I'm all about bending the rules.' He spoke against my neck, nuzzling his way up until his lips met mine and he kissed me slowly, carefully, as though he thought I might break. His hands slid up my back and unhooked the bra but left it held between us as his hands played up and down my spine softly. The kiss ended and he kept us close together. I fluttered my eyes open and looked at him but my line of sight was drawn by something at the window. A large shadow was retreating and Theodore seemed to have noticed I had frozen.  
'What is it?' His hand slid between us for a weapon and I shook my head.  
'Think we just had our platonic cover blown.'  
‘Olaf?’  
‘Olaf.’ I confirmed.  
‘Go shower.’ He patted my ass and I got up.  
‘You going to go kill him?’ I asked hopefully.  
‘We need him later.’ He got to his feet and in that instant, when he thought there was a threat, Edward was back immediately. I didn’t have to worry about Theodore not being the same man as Edward was never more than a breath away.  
‘Pity. So what are you going to do about it?’ I slid the bra off my arms.  
‘Nothing. If he brings it up I’ll remind him you yourself said I liked you better because of your tits.’  
‘Just my tits?’ I feigned disappointment.  
‘Your ass is pretty fine too.’ He replied but he wasn’t looking at me, he was heading towards the window.  
‘I’ll go get my fine ass in the shower.’ I said and left him to worry about what had just happened.

**Author's Note:**

> Tomorrow we will be hitting Van Cleef's compound!


End file.
